Kirk Herbstreit previews the National Championship Game between Alabama and Clemson and explains what he’d change about the College Football Playoff.
It all comes to an end tonight as Alabama and Clemson play for the College Football Playoff National Championship Game for the third time in four years. The game will be on ESPN with kickoff set for 8 p.m. EST and Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call.
During the semifinal games and in the intermission since then, many fans have expressed their opinions on another meeting between these two schools and whether it’s good or bad for the sport and what changes, if any, need to be made to the current playoff format. Prior to the game, I talked with Herbstreit about those topics and more, including the Goodyear Blimp being the first non-player or coach inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Kirk Herbstreit previews the National Championship Game
Schmidt: I’m excited for this National Championship Game. Fourth year in a row, and third time in a title game. So what can Clemson and Alabama take from these previous matches from the last couple of years, and help them as they prepare for this game on Monday night?
Kirk Herbstreit: That’s a good question. I think with Alabama, they are not real caught up in the opponent. That’s just how Nick Saban does it. Emotionally, it’s kind of a faceless opponent. They worry more about them, and less about who they’re playing.
I think with Clemson, it’s about, “Hey guys, the first time we got into this with them, we came within just the last-minute away from winning the game.” Two years ago, they were able to go out and make a play late to win it all. Of course, last year, Alabama dominated them. But I think those experiences give Clemson some belief and some confidence that they can beat Alabama.
I can just tell you from calling a lot of Alabama games, and I’m sure you’ve been around them, and seen them. I mean, they beat 80 percent of the teams before the game plays. I mean, Oklahoma was an example. As good as Oklahoma is, I think they got caught up there with the deer in the headlights a little bit, at the beginning of that game. By the time they were down 28-0, they finally just started playing, and forgetting about it.
That’s what Bama does to you, and I think Clemson, because of these three experiences, they’ve got some veterans on this team that came back just for this opportunity to play Alabama again. I think that gives them confidence that they can go toe-to-toe, and try to knock Bama off.
Schmidt: It feels like there’s a lot of chatter among fans about whether another Alabama-Clemson championship game is good or bad for college football. I think it’s great, but what would you say to the critics who may be a bit fatigued with these two teams?
Herbstreit: I just don’t get it. I’m a college football fan, and I like to see the two best teams go head to head, no matter who it is at the end of the year. These were the two best teams in August. If you asked an unbiased college football observer, “Who do you think is gonna be in the National Championship at the end of the year?” Most of them would’ve said Alabama and Clemson, and here we are.
The fact that they’ve played four times now in four years, you can be tired of it, but how do you not watch it? How do you not get excited about it? You’ve got star power all over the field, on both sides. You’ve got guys that have been dominant throughout their careers, and you’ve got some young superstars that have really bright futures. They’re going toe to toe. I mean, sign me up.
The fact that they’ve played for four years in a row, that doesn’t really affect me in one way or another. I’m looking forward to seeing it. Looking forward to seeing Trevor Lawrence, with a true freshman playing quarterback for Clemson, trying to give his team a chance to win this game. How can you not enjoy watching Tua do what he does? You have two great defenses. I mean, it’s fun. and I’m looking forward to calling the game.
Schmidt: Seemingly everyone has an opinion on how to change the current playoff format. Some people want to expand to eight, others like it at four and some may want to go back to the old two-team format. But if you could change the playoff format, what would you do?
Herbstreit: I think I would go back to the traditional bowl matchups where you have … example, the Big Ten and the Pac-12 playing in the Rose Bowl and the SEC champ going to the Sugar Bowl, and so on and so forth. Then I would at the end of all those bowl games, I would take the best two, or the best four teams after the bowl games, and then I would play a championship.
Before the bowl games were played, a lot of people, including myself, thought Georgia was a very deserving team. They obviously lost to Texas. Ohio State was able to win their bowl game against Washington. It’d be hard. I’m not saying you would have to pick four teams. Maybe it’s just two. Maybe you play all the bowl games and there are two obvious teams after the bowl games to pick and put ’em in the championship.
That way the bowl games can keep their meaning. That way people would still be excited about the bowl game. You never know what can happen in the bowls. You never know. You might be the lucky team that might get picked to be in post bowl games to play for the championship, so that’s what I would do. Instead of looking at expanding it to four, or to eight, or keep it at four, go back down to two, I would get back to some of the history and tradition of the sport.
Tie that into the bowl games, and like I said, if you want to pick two, pick two. If you want to pick four, pick four on the back end.
Schmidt: I love it. I could get on board with that. Last question for you and I’ll let you go. The Goodyear Blimp is getting inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Tell me how awesome it is to have those views and for a player the significance of having the Blimp overhead.
Herbstreit: Yeah man. I think it’s pretty amazing. If you go back and think about how many games the Goodyear Blimp has been able to provide the aerial coverage for us. Think about that. You go all the way back to the ’55 Rose Bowl. I remember the Goodyear Blimp as just a fan, looking up and seeing it. It was, of course, a big game.
Then as a player, you know it’s a big-time game. It’s not there for every game, just the bigger games. Now it’s come full circle as a broadcaster. We have the blimp off and giving us those views. It’s been an interesting ride for me personally to go through all that, and so I think it’s pretty cool to have an opportunity to be a part of this class and be the first non-player or non-coach that received that enshrinement. I think it’s quite an honor, and I know Goodyear is very proud.